The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Forced to study amid filth

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 16, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Forced to study amid filth

D.V.L. Padma Priya

Leaky roofs, stinking toilets are what these students have to put up with

Six classrooms for 600 students in Panjagutta school
Promise to shift them remains
on paper

Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Crying for help: The partially-demolished Government High School at Punjagutta. -

HYDERABAD: Imagine eating your meal with an unbearable stench around you. For students of Government High School, Panjagutta, it is a daily affair. Every day 300 primary schoolchildren have their mid-day meals in a classroom beside a dysfunctional toilet and faulty drainage.

With a strength of 600 students, the school lacks all the basic amenities; most importantly toilets for the 450 girls. The government school was demolished almost two years back for road widening. Since then classes were being conducted in six classrooms and in the verandas.

Although the District Education Officer (DEO) assured the management new premises, the school hasn’t heard anything regarding the matter to date.

“They just built the compound wall and haven’t told us anything as to where and when we would be relocated,” says M.S. Raja, the headmaster. According to school authorities, they were served with an evacuation notice in April. “Where should we go? There is no coordination between the departments,” says a teacher.

Pathetic

The drainage pipe that connects the school to the main drainage line was damaged during the road widening activity. “Water stagnates here all the time,” complains a student. The school lacks toilets for the students and the staff. M. Nagasandhya (name changed), student of ninth standard says that she controls the urge to relieve herself till she goes home.

And for others like N. Sunitha, studying beside toilets’ that stink horribly is a nightmare.

This is just the beginning. The rooms on the first floor are more of dungeons and less of classrooms. Students are seen cleaning the dust filled classrooms.

“When it rains, the roof leaks and we then sit in the veranda or just go home,” says P.Srinivas (name changed), a standard 10 student. Out of the six functional classrooms, only one has electricity.

About nine computers lie unused thanks to the absence of electricity and a trainer. “Last year we got wiring done for all the classrooms and installed fans and lights, out of our own pockets. But they were missing after summer vacation,” says the headmaster. For the homeless, the school premises are a perfect place to sleep.

“Each night people come and sleep here, sometimes drink and leave the bottles behind,” says a teacher.

The school surely tests the concentration levels of the students with the vehicular noise coming through a gaping hole in the first floor of the building “It is difficult for us to concentrate with so many vehicles honking,” says Lalitha, an eight standard student.

B. Mallamma,DEO, Hyderabad was not available for comment.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh